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6 sourced facts about lawns and yards, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
AnswerAbout three times as much
That makes turf grass the largest irrigated 'crop' in the country by surface area.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory, Looking for Lawns (2005) science.nasa.gov
Answer10.0%
Averaged over everyone, that's just 0.19 hours of yard work per person per day.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey 2025, Table 1 (2025) bls.gov
AnswerAbout 128,000 sq km
That's more area than any single irrigated crop, such as corn or wheat.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory, Looking for Lawns (2005) science.nasa.gov
AnswerAbout 50% more
Timers keep watering on schedule even when it's rainy or the soil is already wet.
Source: U.S. EPA WaterSense, Sprinkler Spruce-Up epa.gov
AnswerAbout 200 gallons (184–238 gallons)
The study estimated drinking-quality water needed to keep lawns green across the Lower 48.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory, Looking for Lawns (2005) science.nasa.gov
AnswerUp to 16.7 teragrams
If clippings are hauled away instead, storage drops to about 5.9 teragrams a year.
Source: NASA Earth Observatory, Looking for Lawns (2005) science.nasa.gov